Cambarellus patzcuarensis is a small, threatened species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae.

Most specimens found in the wild are brown, sometimes with a gray or blue tint.

"Orange" (Mexican dwarf crayfish, sometimes Mexican dwarf orange crayfish) is an orange-coloured mutation often held in aquariums, but this form is rarely found in the wild.

[3] The species is named after Lake Pátzcuaro, at an altitude of 2,035 metres (6,677 ft) in Michoacán, Mexico.

Besides in Lake Pátzcuaro, C. patzcuarensis also occurs in springs in Chapultepec, Opopeo and Tzurumutaro.